ECE professor, two alumni named to NAE

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Professor Kumar is an expert in the field of systems, studying their modeling, design, and analysis.

Alumnus Walter Jeremiah (Jerry) Sanders III is the retired chairman and co-founder of Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and is a major supporter of the College of Engineering.

Alumnus Sergio Verdú was recognized for his "contributions to multi-user communications and information theory."

P. R. Kumar

Professor Panganamala R. Kumar and distinguished alumni Walter Jeremiah (Jerry) Sanders III and Sergio Verdú were among the 64 engineers elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) this year. NAE membership is among the highest professional distinctions in engineering.

Kumar, the Franklin W. Woeltge Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, was recognized by the NAE “For contributions to adaptive control, manufacturing systems, and wireless networks.” Kumar, who is also a research professor at the Coordinated Science Laboratory, is an expert in the field of systems, studying their modeling, design, and analysis. His current research interests are in wireless networks, semiconductor wafer fab operations, learning, and financial economics. He is the co-author of the book, Stochastic Systems: Estimation, Identification, and Adaptive Control (1986).

Jerry Sanders

Walter Jeremiah (Jerry) Sanders III (BSEE ’58), retired chairman and co-founder, Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif., was recognized “For leadership in product development and manufacturing in the semiconductor industry.” Sanders is a major supporter of the College of Engineering. The Annual W.J. “Jerry” Sanders Creative Design Competition challenges student teams to construct robots to complete a specified task. The final face-off competition is a highlight of the College of Engineering Open House each spring.

Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature,” and to the “pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.”

Established in 1964 under a charter from the National Academy of Sciences as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers, NAE membership currently includes 2,217 U.S. engineers and 188 foreign associates.